Tuesday, 18 October 2016

Most unusually this week...

...I have a book review as my
post.Whether this will become a regular
feature or not, I’m not sure yet.Perhaps
you might comment and let me know what you think.

﻿

The Seine, Paris

The Red Notebook by Antoine LaurainIf you’ve read my post from September 18th, (Sunday
Sojourn, Paris ) you'll know that, like fellow author Jennifer Wilson who owns the blog on which the post appears, Paris is a favourite city of
mine.So, coming across ‘The Red
Notebook’ by Antoine Laurain was an absolute gem of a find.And where better to read such a little book
than the city of its setting?So I did!

Laure, a single lady who works as a gilder, has her handbag
snatched late one evening as she is returning to her apartment block in the
city.In desperation she runs to the
hotel across road to beg for a room with the promise of paying once she can get
the locks on her door changed and go to her bank to get some money. The next morning things don’t quite work out
as planned.

Laurent is the owner of a Paris bookshop called ‘Le Cahier
Rouge’ and yes that does make you assume at the outset that this is the notebook
of the title.Maybe it is… maybe not! Sorry, but I’m not telling!On his usual route from his own apartment
building, via his regular café, to the bookshop, Laurent finds the discarded
handbag in a skip beside the road.He
muses for a moment or two but then retrieves the bag and decides to return it
to its rightful owner.

The rest of the story you will have to read for yourselves,
but I can guarantee you that the journey around the city that Laurent takes in his
efforts to find Laure, the obstacles he encounters and the miscommunications,
misunderstandings and interventions from unexpected sources along the way, make
this one the most amusing little love stories I have read in years.

The constant ’will they, won’t they’ question kept me on the
edge of my seat.The pace of the story
never flags but somehow also manages to be as serene as the majestic setting
which is so beautifully described.The
characters walk off the page and I found myself so utterly immersed in the
story that I read it in one day.A brilliant little book!

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Merle

A 5 star review for Merle. 'I bought Merle and started reading straight away and couldn't put it down. A great little mystery with interesting twists and turns that kept me guessing. Can't wait for book 3.'

Messandrierre

Reviewer Patricia Walker said, 'this is a gripping murder mystery that cannot be put down once you start reading'.